• Networking
  • Programming
  • DBMS
  • Operating System
  • Internet
  • Hardware
  • Software

Tech Differences

Know the Technical Differences

Difference Between Virus And Worms

Virus Vs WormsVirus and Worms are the malicious programs, which enters our computers through CD’s, Pen drives, email attachments and the files we download from the Internet. Both have some similarities and dissimilarities between them. One of the major differences is that Worms do not require any human action to replicate while Viruses replicates as soon as the user runs the infected file.

The malicious softwares are known as malware, which is broadly divided into two categories: one which needs a host program and others which are independent and don’t need a host for their execution.

Viruses, logic bombs, and backdoors are the example of fragments of programs that require host program and cannot exist solitarily. Worms and zombie programs are examples of self-contained programs that don’t need the host and can be executed by the operating system automatically.

Content: Virus Vs Worms

  1. Comparison Chart
  2. Definition
  3. Key Differences
  4. Protection against Virus and Worms
  5. Conclusion

Comparison Chart

Basis for ComparisonVirusWorms
MeaningThe Virus attaches itself to executable files and transfers from one system to the other.A Worm is a malicious program that replicates itself and can spread to different computers via Network.
Human ActionNeeded Not Required
Speed of SpreadingSlower as compared to WormFast
Requirement of host
Host is needed for spreading.
It doesn't need a host to replicate from one computer to another.
Removing MalwareAntivirus, formattingVirus removal tool, formatting
Protect the System usingAntivirus softwareAntivirus, firewall
Consequences
Corrupt and erase a file or program. Consumes system resources and slows down it, and can halt the system completely.

Definition Of Virus

A virus is a software program that can link itself to the executable files of a computer. It can replicate itself and modify the file to which it is attached and seeks for the other programs appended to that file. It then infects other programs simultaneously leaving a copy. At last, it reloads the original copy of the file, which makes it undetectable.

A virus usually carries its instructional code in order to generate its perfect copy. The infection can spread in the whole network connection. It causes damage to an extent at which the damage could be recovered if good backup and recovery procedures are employed.

It tends to harm the system by various means such as:

  • Using the disk space,
  • Completely erasing the hard disk drive,
  • Modifying personal data, text files,
  • And can even bring the computer to a halt.

A virus requires a host, to attach and spread throughout the system. All Viruses are Man-Made and aim to harm the target computer.

Phases of Virus

  1. Dormant Phase – At this stage, a virus is in its idle state. It gets activated by some action or event such as a date, time, presence of another program.
  2. Propagation Phase – In this phase virus generates its copies.
  3. Triggering phase – This phase activates the virus to carry out the required function.
  4. Execution phase – In this phase, the virus performs the actual function which may be harmless or destructive.

Types of Virus

  1. Parasitic Virus – These type of viruses attaches itself to executable files and replicates itself.
  2. Memory resident virus – These types of viruses attach itself to a particular area of the main memory and then it infects each file that is executed.
  3. Boot sector Virus – The main target of this virus is the master boot record of the disk. It infects the master boot record and begins to spread at the time of booting.
  4. Stealth Virus – This virus has the built-in intellect which prevents it from discovering by antivirus software.
  5. Polymorphic Virus – These types of viruses frequently alters its signature (Identity) at every execution which makes it difficult to identify.
  6. Metamorphic Virus – This virus is similar to the polymorphic virus but has additional functionality. It keeps on rewriting itself every time including changing its signature.

Definition Of Worms

Worms are self-replicating files that reside in the memory of an infected computer. It often disguises itself as system files to avoid detection. It is similar to a Virus by design and a sub-class of it. Worms differ from a virus in some way where it can be triggered automatically without any human action.

Propagation of worms

It spreads through one computer to another via email, network, etc. Worms can transfer itself from one computer to another by using the user’s email address book. It may cause the system resources to slow down or completely halt the task.

The computer worms could spread through the following manner:

  • Files found in email attachments.
  • Through a web link or FTP resource.
  • Links received through the ICQ and IRC (Internet Relay Chat) message.
  • Via peer-to-peer file-sharing networks

Key Difference Between Virus And Worms

  1. Worms use Computer Networks to spread itself while Viruses spread to different systems through executable files.
  2. Spreading speed of a Worm is faster than a Virus.
  3. The virus tends to damage, destroy or alter the files of target computers, whereas, Worms does not modify any file but aims to harm the resources.
  4. The virus needs human action to replicate, whereas Worms don’t.
  5. Worms are independent files that exist within the memory of an infected computer, whereas, Virus are executable files or attach themselves to other executable files to operate.
  6. The Virus needs hosts to spread while Worms do not require any host.
  7. Virus corrupts or modifies the data on the target computer, whereas, Worms harm the network by consuming the bandwidth, deleting files or sending emails.

Protection against Virus and Worms

  • Installation of Anti-virus software and firewall is the primary way to protect your computer.
  • Monitor the potential data exfiltration.
  • Update the operating system and softwares regularly.
  • Enable notifications and alerts.
  • Observe and inspect file and user behaviour.

Conclusion

Virus and Worms both are the types of malware which are mainly designed to damage your system or to breach your system’s security. Although, the severity of damage could differ in both virus and Worm.

The virus includes modification in file or program while worms don’t commit any changes in file or program; instead, it replicates itself again and again.

Related Differences:

  1. Difference Between Virus, Worm and Trojan Horse
  2. Difference Between Antivirus and Internet Security
  3. Difference Between Firewall and Antivirus
  4. Difference Between Linker and Loader
  5. Difference Between Cc and Bcc

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Top 10 Differences

  • Difference Between Logical and Physical Address in Operating System
  • Difference Between Preemptive and Non-Preemptive Scheduling in OS
  • Difference Between Synchronous and Asynchronous Transmission
  • Difference Between Paging and Segmentation in OS
  • Difference Between Internal and External fragmentation
  • Difference Between while and do-while Loop
  • Difference Between LAN, MAN and WAN
  • Difference Between Pure ALOHA and Slotted ALOHA
  • Difference Between Recursion and Iteration
  • Difference Between Go-Back-N and Selective Repeat Protocol

Recent Addition

  • Difference Between Multimode and Single-mode Fiber
  • Difference Between SOAP and REST
  • Difference Between Radio wave and Microwave
  • Difference Between Prim’s and Kruskal’s Algorithm
  • Difference Between Greedy Method and Dynamic Programming

Categories

  • DBMS
  • Hardware
  • Internet
  • Networking
  • Operating System
  • Programming
  • Software

Copyright © 2021 · Tech Differences · Contact Us · About Us · Privacy